Providing schools with more responsibility for teacher personnel management Successful enterprises often say that personnel selection is the most important set of decisions that they make. In the case of teaching, the evidence suggests that all too often the selection process follows rules about qualifications and seniority that bear little relationship to the qualities needed to be an effective teacher. The sheer size of school systems in many countries means that the process of teacher selection is often highly impersonal and it is hard for teachers to build a sense of commitment to the schools where they are appointed – or for the schools to build a sense of commitment to them. The school is emerging as the key agency within the educational system for improving student learning, which implies that schools need to have more responsibility – and accountability – for teacher selection, working conditions, and development.